Craft Lake City DIY Festival to Showcase Unique Utah Creative Culture

I wanted it to be more of an experience to inspire people to become creators and makers of all types.

Entrepreneurs take pride in the do-it-yourself method, mainly because creating a startup from scratch is the basic definition of doing it yourself. If that sounds obvious, it is. What’s also obvious is that Utah is fertile ground for people who take pride in creating, whether it’s startups, art, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math), or pretty much anything else. As a state boasting a bevy of creative talent, it’s only logical to gather them in one place.

“I’ve seen a lot of artists and creative types, professionals, some of our most brilliant youth, leaving because Salt Lake didn’t have what they wanted here,” said Angela Brown, editor and publisher of SLUG Magazine. “That was one of my goals, what can we do to create this culture that will keep people here and also satisfy my own personal thirst for creative culture? So that’s what I tried to do.”

Brown started the Craft Lake City DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Festival in 2009 as a way of organizing these people who pride themselves on creating things that are unique. What started as a small, one-day event has grown to encompass two days, 200 artisans, two different stages for music and dancing, a STEM building, and over 40,000 attendees. If you’re looking for a place to celebrate and partake in the creative culture of Utah, this is the place.

“I wanted an event that wasn’t just commerce, wasn’t just a marketplace, wasn’t just a glorified arts festival for people to come and spend money,” Brown said. “I wanted it to be more of an experience to inspire people to become creators and makers of all types.”

The DIY Festival will be held at the Gallivan Center in downtown SLC on August 7 from 5–10pm and August 8 from 12–10pm. Individuals interested in attending can purchase tickets here and prepare to partake of all Utah has to offer.

“It’s so important to keep up with creating exciting events that are contemporary and relevant for the youth so they will want to stay,” Brown said. “And then all of the sudden, like myself, you realize you’re working on investing in the city. And then you don’t want to leave.”

Published 7/15/2015